Cavendish House Private Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very happy and settled at this welcoming nursery and develop secure relationships with the kind and caring staff. They display a strong sense of belonging and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. Children are independent and lead their own play. They benefit from lots of fresh air and exercise with their degree qualified sports coach. Children learn about the world and enjoy regular trips to the recreational fields, where they engage in lots of physical activity. Leaders provide children with an exciting indoor and outdoor learning environment.

Babies are confident and at ease in the nursery. They benefit from the caring, warm and nurturing approach of staff. They babble as staff introduce single words and use associative sounds to support their emerging speech. Staff use 'cause and effect' toys to help babies develop their hand-to-eye coordination. Older children excitedly join in with action songs and confidently sing songs that are familiar to them. They recall stories such as 'The Little Red Hen' and use resources staff provide to retell the story. They talk about the leaves they have picked and compare their shape, size, texture and colour. They demonstrate good pencil control as they draw around their leaves. They giggle in delight as a spider crawls off one of the leaves.

Care practices are good. Young children sleep peacefully in comfortable surroundings. Staff regularly check on them to ensure they are safe and well. Staff remind children to use their manners. For example, they encourage them to say 'please' and 'thank you' at mealtimes. Children behave well. They respond positively to adults and each other.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• The highly qualified and inspirational provider and manager shows dedication to her role. She is ambitious about what she wants children to learn. Alongside her deputy manager, she plans a child-led, exciting curriculum. She shares her vision and strives to always deliver high-quality care and education.
• The nursery curriculum focuses on teaching children the life skills they will need so they are well prepared for starting school. For example, children learn to take turns and they follow instructions as they tidy up their toys. Children learn to use a knife and fork and pour their water at mealtimes. As a result, children are making good progress.
• Staff morale is high. The experienced and well-trained staff report that they are very happy in their roles and feel supported by the manager and provider. They meet regularly to discuss their ongoing professional development and to talk about their well-being. They undertake regular training initiatives and implement what they learn so that the children benefit. For example, recent 'communication counts' have been used to develop the communication and language curriculum.
• Staff effectively support children's communication skills. They use songs and rhymes to develop children's understanding of common words and language patterns. They speak slowly and clearly to children, repeating words and modelling sentences, so that they hear the correct way to say them. All children, including children who speak English as an additional language, are making good progress. Additional funding has been used to support children's learning experiences and help close any gaps in children's learning and development.
• Children develop positive attitudes towards healthy lifestyles. The nursery cook provides children with nutritious meals and snacks. She effectively supports children with allergies or food intolerance. Children learn the importance of washing their hands before meals.
• Parents are very complimentary about the nursery and staff. They fully appreciate the efforts of staff to support them and their children.
• Overall, children are focused and concentrate for extended periods of time. However, some children sometimes lose interest in adult-led activities as some staff do not always extend children's learning to a high enough level when working with them.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the planning of adult-led activities to ensure they are consistently challenging for all children.